


Step Into Life

by truelyesoteric



Series: Step Verse [3]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Aliens, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-28
Updated: 2012-12-28
Packaged: 2017-11-22 18:35:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/612935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truelyesoteric/pseuds/truelyesoteric
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes war is just a love story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Step Into Life

Jared was tapping his foot, Mr. Kripke was droning on at him. They both knew it was a formality, something they both had to go through for appearances. Jared was in this office once a week or so. It was kind of a bit of solace for both of them. 

Kripke liked him because he wasn't one of the self-righteous jocks, they both knew he had to do this, to save face for both of them.

Jared smiled at the appropriate times. He really wasn’t a rebel, he just didn’t like to follow rules that were useless. In any other way he would have been a leader, here he was mocked for not fitting in.

The sad thing was that since Jared’s coming out a little over a year ago, a forced coming out at that, Kripke was probably his closest friend. 

Jared just inwardly shrugged at how pathetic his life was, he at least knew how to entertain himself, he had hobbies and was able to be okay even if other people weren’t with him. He just couldn’t let it bother him. He was going to get out of his town soon enough.

They did their little dance and finally he could get up and get his camera, which he would be pissed about loosing.

He walked into the office and tried not to stumble because looking right at him was pretty much the hottest guy that he had ever seen. Of course this perfect specimen of man showed up now, in the most judgmental high school anywhere and not in a few years when maybe it would be okay to show a little bit of interest. 

Jared would say his school was homophobic, but the school seemed to be equal equality about just hating anything different, they would rib you for standing out in anyway, gay just gave them more material to work with.

Jared knew this might be the last time this guy would ever look at him once Abel got to him.

Might as well give a good impression.

He flirted with Shelia, who was also one of the few people in the town who didn’t hate him.

Then he turned to the new guy.

“So you’re the new guy?” Jared asked.

This guy looked at him, really looked at him. Jared wasn’t used to people not looking through him these days.

He sighed. Might as well nip this one in the butt. 

“Welcome to the most cliché high school in America,” he said, trying to hide his regret. “Good luck finding your way through the jocks and the geeks.”

“Let me guess,” the guy, whose new schedule said was named Jensen. “Jock.”

Jared was confused, because it seemed for a microsecond like flirting, maybe he had just been out of practice with human interaction. Non-negative attention seemed to be a weird thing.

“I’m wounded,” he said, both flirting and offended. “I’m a science nerd and an art student and I am good at sports.”

“So you’re pretty much superman,” Jensen retorted.

Jared nearly swallowed his tongue. This was so normal it almost made his eyes water. It was kind of flirting, maybe Jensen was into guys, maybe Jensen’s usual mode was flirting, Jared didn’t know, but he had learned to take what was in front of him. It was a nice moment, but he wasn’t gong to ruin this guy’s life by keeping it up.

“Nah, they all pretty much hate me, which is why I’m going to do you a favor and not be seen with you,” Jared said, the light leaving his face. “I’m not meaning to be rude, but with that face you really don’t want to be seen with me.”

Jensen’s face fell, and Jared almost wanted to take that back.

“What does that mean?” Jensen asked wounded.

Jared wasn’t going to be sad about it, today had already been the best day he had in a long while.

He just smiled. “I give you till lunch to find out. It won’t take long.”

He walked off, whistling.

At lunch, as predicted Jensen was sitting with Abel at a table that he hadn’t been allowed near for a year.

Jensen had tried to talk to him once, but Jared shrugged him off. It wasn’t his place to ruin Jensen’s life because he had a crush. 

There were looks passed from Jensen, but he was with the cool kids now, and Jared back in silence.

The weeks went on like they had before, except something had broken the monotony and shaken him a little. He had a day where Jensen had been normal with him. Before he hadn’t taken any notice of anyone in the school until they decided to get in his face. However Jared couldn’t stop noticing Jensen.

He developed an unhealthy obsession with discreetly photographing Jensen. He was so very careful, because if anyone found out he had almost a hundred pictures of Jensen he would probably be more of a social pariah and this time would probably involve more fists.

Soon enough Jensen had his tongue down Joanna Krupka’s throat, Jared wasn’t surprised at that, but he was surprised how much it felt like a punch to the gut.

Jared took photos of the world, saw what was really there in a world where they were a bunch of kids who were pretending to know what was gong on.

But there was something about Jensen, something that just made him itch. He couldn’t leave behind the thought that it wasn’t supposed to be like this. He trained himself not to look at Jensen across the quad. He trained himself not to gape or stare or be obvious with his picture taking.

But he would stare at those pictures at night, freckles he had only once seen up close magnified across Jensen’s nose. He felt as if he should know those lips, he wrote it off to the fact that he was eighteen and horny as hell.

Which made the night he found himself in the tree of Jensen’s house kind of hard to explain. He was taking pictures of Jensen and his dad doing some pretty intense sparring in the back yard. Like it was borderline child abuse.

But the thought of rescuing Jensen, not that he could, abruptly disappeared once he was the one to see what was really going on.

Then Jensen’s hands turned blue and things around him began to lift.

For the life of him Jared had no idea how he didn’t fall out of the tree. He forgot about his camera, he forgot about everything, he just watched Jensen bathed in blue light. 

Jensen was pretty much the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen on a normal day.

Jensen in that blue light was absolutely stunning.

He watched for a while, the splendor that was the power of Jensen. He was eighteen, so being hard as a rock the entire time wasn’t unexpected, but a bird scared the shit out of him and he found himself sprawled on the ground, camera unharmed next to him, still half hard, with Jensen looking down at him, blue light around his fists. 

That was a little unexpected, but also totally expected with the way that his life was going.

“What the hell are you doing here,” Jensen said angrily.

Thank god the aliens chose that moment to approach, because Jared didn’t really have a decent answer to that one, the truth was awkward, weird, and probably constituted stalking and there was no lie big enough to cover all his bases.

Jared found himself driving away in a car with Jensen, who was pretty pissed at him, and a gruff guy with a beard who was even more pissed at him. Jared was unsure if he was a hostage or get away driver or just a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Jeff was badly hurt, Jensen was out of commission, so he drove them to his uncle’s place for lack of better option.

He felt like an intruder, a pervert, and pretty much unwanted. Which was really how he lived his life. It couldn’t be any worse than life at home, is how he justified going with them.

He had never hated himself for what he was, for the choices that he made, but he was getting close with this feeling. He was inexplicably drawn to the young man, who mostly avoided these days since they left for Tennessee. All of the nine held him at arms length.

He watched Jensen fall into an easy camaraderie, an easy love in the midst of war with the redhead nine.

Jared thought high school was bad, this was seventy times worse. This was the worst kind of hell he had never thought to imagine.

Then he found out it could get worse. That he could get even more miserable.

He walked in on them one day, covered in sweat, moaning in pleasure, holding tightly to each other.

It tore him apart. It made his heart ache with the wrongness of it all. He wasn’t a fanciful guy, but something about this was wrong. This was wrong, so very wrong and he couldn’t put his thumb on what was it.

He stayed. He stayed and watched as Jensen and Danneel were into each other, both a beautiful defying alien race meant to save them all.

Jared was just the one who made sure they had groceries, he cleaned their bathrooms, he made beer runs when they were wanting to have fun. They liked him well enough, but he was just the lackey.

He was twenty-one when Danneel gave birth to a daughter.

Jared was years into self-hatred and the feeling of wrongness of everything around him and unable to figure out what he was supposed to be. He was just a meek guy, surrounded by these excellent people in an abandoned amusement park in Tennessee waiting for the end of the world.

But what tipped him into full on crazy was the daughter. He looked at the tiny little girl that Jensen was looking on with such love, almost as much love as her mother.

“This is wrong,” Jared said softly, watching Jensen look so happily and proud at his daughter and mate. “It didn’t happen this way.”

He felt it at the core of his being, something sure and strong. He was absolutely sure that this was not how it happened. It wasn’t rage, it wasn’t hatred, it was the absence of everything.

He knew love, he knew happiness, he knew it with everything that he had.

And this was wrong.

He knew happiness and so much of that was wrapped up in Jensen. He was sure.

He looked down at his hands. They weren’t smooth and young any more. His hands were crisscrossed with scars. His right index finger had been broken. On his left hand was a silver band.

He breathed and looked over as his younger self looked Jensen and Danneel look so happily at their new daughter. He wasn’t part of the scene he was watching his own personal hell unfold.

“Jay, Tris,” he tested on his tongue.

Shortened version of his names. But they brought images of six-year-old boys.

Those were Jensen and Danneel’s children. 

And his.

None of this had happened. He had never been relegated to the shadows. Jensen had always seen him after their first meeting. Jensen had always sought him out, brought him into his world. 

Jensen had given him the world and he had saved that world over and over again.

He was thirty-five. Husband of Jensen. Father of Jay and Tris. Overseer of the Reconstruction, human counterpart of the Guardian of the Reconstruction, Jensen.

Jensen.

He looked over at the form of a man who he had never known. 

That wasn’t his Jensen. This wasn’t his home.

Jared closed his eyes and thought about going home.

 

**

The machines were going wild. Alona and Misha were glowing, all their attention on Jared.

“What the fuck is happening,” Jensen was yelling, panicking.

Jared had been in that bed for a week after a psychic attack. Something had his mind.

“They have him,” Misha said, voice the consistency of gravel. “He was locked in some pen that had been made for him, one we couldn’t break into, now he’s not there.”

“Where the fuck is he?” Jensen ground out. “Talk to me.”

“Get him out of here,” Alona bellowed, sweet calm Alona wouldn’t look at him, was concentrating on Jared.

Danneel cam up behind him.

“I can probably still kick your ass,” she said with that deathly calm that scared Jensen out of his skin. He was good at running, she was good at fighting.

He turned around.

She was tiny and six months pregnant, but there was something about her presence that wouldn’t take no for an answer. He sometimes was stunned by the warrior that she could be, something that happened in the years of the war that he had missed.

He swallowed.

She probably could kick his ass even pregnant. Probably even more with all of the extra hormones pumping through her body.

He looked back at Jared, in that bed still, brainwaves going shorter, breath barely there.

He looked back at her, tears in his eyes.

“Come,” she said steadily. “Let them work.”

Jensen let her lead him out, away. He sat in the room and stared at the wall.

Jared had started acting funny, as if something was itching his brain. He started to see thing. Jensen didn’t know what it was, but Chad had taken one look at him and demanded that they get him to Misha and Alona. 

Jensen had never seen a psychic attack on another person, the other eight had seen it too many times.

By the time that they had managed to get him to Misha he was cationic. Something had put a psychic wall around him, effectively holding him hostage.

They guessed that this was some form of final vengeance. The war was done, years over, but something seemed to want to lash out in the small way that they could. It was very very cold revenge. 

The Others couldn’t get to the Nine, their minds weren’t penetrable except by the most elite and those had been eradicated. Even then they could lock themselves off.

But humans were vulnerable. Jared was probably the highest-ranking human on the planet. 

The Other’s had been hunted down, killed. There weren’t any left, but one of their Half-Breeds was taking Jared, draining him and at the same time destroying him.

If it lasted more than a month there would be permanent mental damage. Jensen had seen the aftermath, people with wild mood swings and only basic functionality. Jensen was out of his mind terrified. He didn’t want to loose Jared. He had already withstood so much, he couldn’t do this.

Danneel closed the door and stood there, effectively barring him in the room, away from Jared.

Jensen just stared at the wall.

“I didn’t know,” he said in a whisper. “If I had known...a day Danni, we lost so much time.”

Danneel crossed her arms. “You had never seen it, he had, but you go crazy before you can realize what it is and then there is just the coma. There is nothing that either of you did wrong and there is nothing you freaking out is going to help.”

Jensen looked up at her. 

Justin opened the door, taking care not to knock Danneel around. He looked tired, all of the Nine hadn’t looked so much like shit since the war had ended. 

“We think that it is a Halfling,” Justin said. “The only way that it could be shielded is if it were half.”

Jensen tried to keep his patience. “What do we do?”

“We have a few leads. I’ve dispatched Chad and Chris and I’ve contacted the leaders of all the major areas of rebuilding,” he said, his voice cracking a little, showing how much he had been talking. He had been on the phone from the moment that Jared fell.

“Will that be enough?” Jensen asked quickly.

Both Danneel and Justin just gaped.

Jensen had no idea what he had done wrong. He didn’t talk to Jared about the war. This appeared to be one of those things.

“For a year after you disappeared,” Misha said, coming into the room. “People didn’t want to listen to some twenty three year old kid. Jared would tell them what to do and most of the time they would balk. He was right every single time. He played the game of survival perfectly. You’ve heard the accolades and they’re high and lofty, but every single one of them is understated. Humanity was burning and every one of the people alive is because he was there, all of the leaders that Justin talked to know exactly who pulled the strings to keep them breathing. So yes. I think they’re going to help us.”

Jensen swallowed. He adored Jared and seeing Jared in world leader mode never ceased to make his heart swell. He loved an amazing man. 

And at the moment that he was about to loose his mate he realized that he really had never given Jared enough credit, and he thought the world of Jared. He sometimes forgot the greatness that they were embroiled in.

Jensen hated having to do things in secret. He lived twenty-one years like that. Covert operations had nearly killed the world. Jensen had been the only one brave enough to speak, in the end that had made all the difference. It wasn’t just a personal feeling towards Jared, the entire world thought that of Jared.

It made him want to cry in desperation.

Because there was nothing to do to save Jared.

Jensen sat down, growing towards despondence. “What are you getting from his head?”

“He escaped them,” Misha said tiredly. “I can’t find him in the cage, the one they put him in, in his head any more. He’s gone. He has escaped them.”

Jensen stayed quiet.

Danneel looked at him, but spoke to Misha. “Where is he?”

Misha shrugged. “I don’t know humans that well, even after all these years. I know where we would go, we can put everything in a box and lock it, humans can’t. I taught him burrowing techniques, that is our best bet. I think that he’s trying to hide someplace safe, I’d like to try to find him, but I need to do it fast, not poke around a lot.”

Misha turned his blazing blue eyes on Jensen.

“Where would he go?” Misha asked. “Where does he feel safe? The farm? It would be where he was safe in time and place.”

Jensen shook his head. “I don’t think so. He’s still dealing with the consequences of war. Somedays he can’t pick out his clothes still. I don’t think it is now.”

“Maybe before all this started?” Justin asked. “Childhood? Back in school?”

Jensen shook his head. “His high school was almost like something made up with horrible people, no it wouldn’t be then.”

“When was he happiest?” Danneel said softly.

“The years after we left San Antonio,” Jensen said softly. “The years before the war.”

Justin, Danneel, and Misha paused and then looked at each other and nodded.

“Me too,” Danneel said softly. “It was the only time that I’ve ever felt free.”

“It was two years,” Misha said with a sigh. “That should make it easier. If it was when he was a kid it would be hard, those memories are harder to sort through. Everything in his head is both kid and adult like it makes my head spin.”

“He’s a sucker for moments that were unconventional,” Jensen said slowly. “He really liked when I got awkward. That is where you will find him.”

Danneel had a far away smile on her face, her hand rubbed her belly. “Those were the good times. Probably the only time in my life that I wasn’t afraid.”

“And the free love sex was pretty great too. We were crazy back then,” Misha intoned.

The all looked at him and not at each other. 

He shrugged. “Wrong time?”

Justin frowned. “Probably too soon.”

Misha just grinned.

“Can you find him?” Jensen asked.

Misha raised his eyebrows. “I will try my best.”

Jensen stood up.

Misha put his hands up in defense. “I know how much he means to you, it is bleeding into this room like a heavy fog, but you need to sit down because he means everything to all of us. He’s our family too.”

Jensen nodded.

Everybody moved around, except Danneel. 

He looked at her. “What am I supposed to do now?”

She reached out a hand.

“Let me take care of you for awhile,” she offered.

He didn’t know what else to do.

**

Jensen sat across the board from his two six year olds. He was having trouble beating him on his good days with their weird mixed minds. But his head was barely there and the three three-year-olds were chatting and playing in the room. Jax, Grace, and Kelsey were hardly the most quiet of children.

Sophia sat in the corner, rubbing her belly.

“I hate Misha,” she sighed. Having Tom’s baby was so easy.”

Grace turned and waved both of her hands. “Mommy!”

“You were perfect baby,” Sophia sighed. “This little baby is so draining.”

Katie swept in, almost ready to pop, looking as nonplussed about her current condition as anything. “Misha is going in.”

“I hate her too,” Sophia pouted.

Jensen looked back to the board.

His boys smiled sweetly.

The next few hours went slowly and Jensen lost games to the boys. He then decided to go and stare out the window.

Katie came back as the sun was setting. She shook her head and left. Danneel came in the room and sat down next to him, she put her head on his shoulder. Kelsey came and put her hands on Danneel’s belly, she smiled up sweetly.

“Sad Jensen?” she asked before crawling into Jensen’s lap.

Jensen stroked her hair and looked out the window. “Yeah baby I am.”

Kelsey was sweet, just like Alona. It was a tiny bit of balm

“Do you know that when I was the one in the bed Jared was out killing things,” he said. “I’m a baby sitter.

“Jared has anger issues,” Danneel said softly. “Also he’s over compensating for the fact that he can’t shoot blue lightning out of his hands.”

“Jared is the strongest person I know,” Jensen said with complete certainty.

“I don’t know,” Danneel said. “You crawled out of your torture den, you didn’t curl up and die. You are okay yourself, I am thinking.”

“Hardly,” Jensen said. “I just did what I what do.”

“So did he,” Danneel said. “He is amazing, but it doesn’t change the fact that he sat in dark rooms making choices, giving the world your face. He could be strong because he’s always had you to be his mouth piece.”

“Fat lot of good I am,” Jensen muttered.

Then Jensen perked up as a thought hit him. 

“I’m the face,” he said. “I mean even with Justin doing all the leading I’m still the face.”

“No Jensen,” Danneel said firmly, ,having already had the thought a few times. “We can’t do that, we can’t create panic and hold the world hostage. This peace thing is so fresh, if it is a Halfling we can’t have people turning on their neighbors. We can’t risk rebuilding.”

Jensen looked at her determined. “I was twenty one when I stood in front of the entire world and announced that I and eight of my friends were aliens and the only hope that anyone had of surviving, I told them that it would be safe again, that we could have our world back if they trusted me. They trusted my face even when they believed that I was dead. I believed in what I said, I believed in hope because I wanted a world where I could have Jared. We are not safe, we’ve lost 60% of the human population, we are not safe, none of them are not if something is going after the humans.”

Sophia came over and put her hand on Jensen’s shoulder.

“I’m with Jensen,” Sophia said. “They’re going to torture and kill our protector because they want revenge on us. Because they want to hurt us. Who will they take next? Austin and then who, Chris? The leaders of the countries? We cannot live like this, I’m tired of living in fear and I will not loose our Jared, I will not loose my husband and I’m pretty sure that Alona won’t loose her husband.”

“Daddy?” Kelsey popped up, her face worried.

Danneel smiled and soothed. “No honey. Your Dad is going to be fine.”

“We will get your Father to move heaven and earth,” Sophia soothed.

“I’m going to talk to Justin,” Jensen said. “Are you behind me?”

“Always,” Danneel said without hesitation, despite her reservations.

“And you should bring Kelsey,” Sophia added. “There is nothing her Father wouldn’t do for those eyes.”

**

Jensen held tightly onto Jared’s hand.

“Jensen, it might make me feel better if you don’t scowl and try to break my hand when we’re in public together,” Jared said, holding back a laugh.

Jensen looked at him, his face determined, like he was going to overcome all prejudices just by holding his boyfriend’s hand in the supermarket.

“I just don’t want you to think I’m ashamed,” Jensen hissed.

Jared shrugged. “I don’t want you to be over compensating.”

“I’m so sorry, I’ve never had a boyfriend before, I don’t know what I’m doing,” Jensen said far to loudly in the West Virginia Supermarket

“I’ve never had one either,” Jared said easily. “But maybe I’m not the hand holding type of guy.”

Jensen stood defensively. It was times like this that Jared remembered that he was raised a solider.

Then Jensen deflated and became just a guy again.

“I’ve never been either,” Jensen admitted.

“Then stop making this more complicated,” Jared told hi

Jensen smiled a little and then got that determined look on his face and stood on tiptoe to kiss Jared.

“That was the first time he kissed me first,” Jared said, watching his younger self. “He stopped getting that look after awhile, but at first he liked me so much he got this look on his face like he was going to do it even though it scared him shitless.”

“I loved that look,” Misha agreed, standing besides Jared watching younger Jared and Jensen make out a little in the produce section. “Once Jensen got the ball rolling he wasn’t so hesitant any more. He was just so funny, telegraphing that he was so uncomfortable yet he wasn’t going to let anyone stand in his way. I’ve never seen someone so honest. I miss that.”

They watched as the other Jared and Jensen walked through the produce section and picked out fruit.

It was almost a normalcy that didn’t exist any more.

“You found me,” Jared said, reaching out for Misha’s arm and suddenly they were at the amusement park, there was the sound of children running in the background.

Misha looked around. “You’re pretty good.”

“I should,” Jared said just listening. “It’s my head.”

“Interesting place,” Misha said looking around, not quite able to make sense of everything.

“So I’m under attack,” Jared said conversationally, trying to draw Misha’s attention back to him again.

“And you are hiding in the imperfect perfect moments,” Misha said, looking around hearing children.

“Jensen knows me well,” Jared smiled, looking at their abandoned amusement park.

“Jared this is creepy,” Misha said trying to see the children running around the park. “There weren’t kids here.”

Jared smiled and three kids, two boys and a girl came from behind the roller coaster. They had big brown eyes and cute little faces. They came out and looked at Misha, Misha looked at them and cocked his head.

“You can’t read minds here?” Jared said with a smile.

“Not in your head,” Misha said, still staring at the children. “Jared who are they.”

“They’re yours Misha,” Jared said gently. 

Misha’s head snapped to Jared. 

“There have always been kids here. Just not ones you could see,” Jared said and bent down. “I know you want to see him, but you have to go, you have to hide.”

They smiled at him and then waved at Misha and disappeared ago.

Misha just stared. 

“You finally don’t know,” Jared said. “You finally need me to speak don’t you.”

“Please,” Misha said.

“When we were here, when we all got here they appeared,” Jared said quietly. “I think that it had something to do with the energy of the nine. They came in my dreams. I didn’t know who they were at first, but they told me that I had brought everyone here, that they were going to happen because you were all here.”

“Jared, nobody has the ability to see the future,” Misha said quietly.

“You’re having a boy back in the real world, Sophie’s baby is a boy, all the girls are having boys this round,” Jared said.

“You can’t know that,” Misha said. “None of the girls had things checked out. I don’t even know what they’re having.”

“Pax, Adrian, and Kai,” Jared said. “They’re already gone, they’re almost ready to appear. Adrian is yours by the way.”

“Jared…” Misha began.

“We meet here,” Jared said. “I knew about Jay and Tris before I ever met them. That is why I hated Danni so much, I always knew and I was really scared about how Jensen and Danni would have kids. But from the first time I met all the rug rats, I promised them I’d keep them safe.”

Misha blinked. 

“I’m still protecting them,” Jared said softly. “Whatever is trying to attack me, probably doesn’t know that I’m the Guardian of the Nine Families, hell the only person alive who knows that is Jeff, but you have to get whoever is doing this out of my head Mish, I’m not sure what will happen to the kids if they find them. I can keep them safe, but the greater revenge on you guys, more than just touching me, well they can destroy the little souls or whatever your kind has, before they are even born.”

Misha’s eyes welled up. “How many are still here?”

“Seven,” Jared said, looking out to where the kids were hiding.

Misha did some quick math. “Five in HQ, three on the way, that makes…”

“Fifteen rug rats,” Jared said softly. “Fifteen good strong little ones that will be what is left of your people.”

Misha swallowed.

“You have to get the bad guys out of my head,” Jared said. “I can run, but not forever, not with the kids. I only have so many memories.”

“All this time,” Misha said. “You weren’t just saving your own people, you were protecting ours.”

Jared shook his head. “I could say that everything I did I did for them, but some days I just blindly kept putting one foot in front of the other, but part of me knew that all of you needed to be okay. Whatever I did though I did it for Jensen. When he died Jay and Tris were still there. I made the world for them, because they were his.”

Misha blinked. “I’ve got to go, me being here endangers you. I’m going to go and make a lot of noise, because you need them out of your head right now.”

“Hadley, Violet, and Dylan,” Jared said with a little smile. “If you want to know.”

“Thanks Jared, but I didn’t need the incentive,” Misha said, blinking out. “I was already going to do more that everything I could.”

**

Misha woke up, breathing hard. 

Alona was hovering over him. 

“I don’t care what the fuck you have to do to turn over every rock on this planet to find the creeps in Jared’s head, but do it. Now,” Misha rasped.

Alona had a funny smile on her face. 

“Oh,” Misha said. “Jensen already is.”

**

Jensen appeared on all the screens of every person of the human race. 

He stood tall.

“It’s been awhile since I had to talk to you and I wish it were better news. I wish that I could tell you all that you were safe. I wish that I could tell you that nothing bad would ever happen to you again besides a broken arm or a broken heart.

“But I can’t. I spent six years being tortured and more than anything I want all of us to be safe again. I cannot tell you how much I want the world I grew up in back. I want to have my horses and my kids and breathe in the Texas air. That is what I want, but in order to get what I want the entire world has to be safe.

“Most of you have seen my face. I’ve been on your screens. I’ve been through your cities, I’ve lifted rubble, I’ve worked by your sides to make this world whole again and more than anything I don’t want to tell you any more bad news, we’ve all been through enough. But I won’t lie to you

“Today we’re not safe. Twelve years ago I stood before you and I promised you honesty. I told you what I was. I trusted that you wouldn’t panic and that you would be able to believe in me, to believe that the nine of us and Jared would do everything we could for you.

“And you did, you believed in us, you trusted me and for that trust I’m never going to lie to you. 

There are Halflings still out there. They aren’t a threat to us, they are a threat to you. They are a threat to our families that we have here. We have husbands and wives, our children play with yours. They have Jared.”

And for just a second his voice broke. The world knew of what it was between the two of them, Jared was Jensen’s, they all knew it. But with that little break in his voice they realized that Jensen was Jared’s as much as Jared was Jensen’s.

“You all know how to handle this. You all know how not to panic. Find them. For yourselves, for your children, for your safety.

“For Jared.”

**

Misha found Jeff in the south gardens.

Jeff was standing, staring at nothing.

“Do you think that when the world remembers this war, this fight for survival they will remember it in terms of the fight for the love of two men.”

“I’m even more sure now,” Misha said quietly.

“You saw the kids,” Jeff said, finally turning.

“Some of them,” Misha said non committally. “I heard them.”

“They okay?” Jeff asked.

“Seem to be,” Misha answered. “Jared thought so. Does Jensen know?”

Jeff shook his head. “Jared came to me because he saw Jay and Tris and he was very jealous. He needed to know how our people worked, he needed to be assured that though Jensen was having children he would still be Jared’s. I’ve seen such things, children appearing to the other parent before they were born. It is rare but it happened back on the home world, but never quite like this. He sees all of your kids. You nine are tied to him or he tied himself to you.”

“Guardian of the Guardians,” Misha named.

“I think it is your survival, connecting to the race that will save you,” Jeff pondered. “We’re all interconnected. That is the hard part about watching the humans. They all seem so alone. That is what Jensen offers them, the access to be part of it all. He ended the isolation, he included everybody.”

“I have never thought about it,” Misha replied.

“You have never been left alone,” Jeff told him. “You will never be. You all may not get along all the time, but you are family, this whole planet is your family. Jensen and Jared are just working to make it so.”

“We’re lucky,” Misha said.

Jeff gave him a hard look. “That depends a lot on if we get Jared back.”

Misha gave him a crooked smile. “When. When we get Jared back.”

**

Jensen sat next to Justin in the command center. Justin was talking, playing with his earpiece and Jensen was hunched over a screen.

Finally Justin threw down the earpiece.

“They found another nest in Alabama,” Justin yelled out hoarsely. “Somebody check in with Alona and Misha.”

Chad turned in his chair, his headset askew on his head.

“Fuck,” Justin swore. “Where the hell is the one holding Jared?”

Jensen looked at the screen. 

“I need a map,” he said to the room. Everyone kind of froze.

“Now,” Jensen growled.

There was a scurry and in minutes Chris returned with a map.

Justin and Chad came up to help Jensen spread it out.

“The old fashioned way,” Chris remarked.

“Old school,” Jensen said, placing markers on the areas that they had found nests.

“Jared used to do this,” Chris remembered.

Jensen stopped and breathed in slowly. “This must have been hell.”

“He blocked it all out of his head,” Katie said, coming up and placing markers. “He pretended that it was just that game Risk you always used to play.”

“Where were the final battles,” Jensen said. 

Justin came in with different markers. “Here and here.”

“There was the Caracas one,” Chad said leaning over.

Katie squinted and rubbed her belly. Chad looked sharply at her and put his hand to her back.

“That was near where you were,” she asked.

Jensen repressed a shiver and shook his head. “I don’t know where I was.”

Chris leaned over. “Yeah that is it. That is where Jared and I ferreted out what we have thought of as the final nest.”

“It probably was the final nest of full blooded,” Justin said.

“Do you think that there is a Halfling population there?” Katie asked, peering at the map.

Jensen just listened to the beating of his heart, listened to his instincts that he was so sure were no longer dormant. Then he looked at Chad, Tom, Justin, Katie, and Chris. They were looking at him to make the call.

This was war. Jensen was the leader in war.

“It is the only area we haven’t found a nest next to a battle is there,” Chris said.

“It’s there,” Jensen said. 

Chris nodded. “We can go to the village Jared and I rebuilt. There will probably be rumblings in the woods.”

“You need to go,” Jensen said. “Right the fuck now.”

They all looked at each other. Jensen swallowed.

Nobody asked who was going to go. They looked at Jensen for the answers. He wasn’t used to this. They were trained well, even after all those years. He hadn’t seen them like this.

“Justin needs to go,” Jensen said. “He’s the only one who can fly that fast.”

Justin nodded.

“How many can you carry and get there in the next few hours?” Jensen asked.

“If you give me the fastest plane and I can get there in three hours with four plus me,” Justin said.

“How useless will you be?” Jensen asked.

“Totally,” Justin answered immediately. “I’ll be totally useless once I’m there, you have bring the best.”

Jeff put down his com. “Everybody will be here in one.”

He just closed his eyes. He felt it. He knew he was glowing but he needed a second. He needed Jared. He needed to make this decision to get Jared.

Jensen opened his eyes, he looked around the room thoughtfully. Misha, Alona, Danneel, and Sophia came in.

“Four places,” Jensen said, taking in the nine, Jeff and Chris. He took just a moment. “It’s been awhile since we’ve been here all together.”

“We haven’t been needed to be together,” Sophia said softly.

“And we thought Jensen was dead,” Chad added.

“Too soon,” Misha said automatically.

Jensen smiled at the girls. “Sorry, I can’t send in the pregnant women.”

Sophia, Danneel, and Katie shrugged. 

“Sexist,” Katie said, rubbing her belly again.

“Chad is the linguist,” Jensen said. “Chris knows the people, but we don’t have time to work out those hand signals you and Jared used.”

“Fucking yeah,” Chad muttered. “Finally I don’t have to stay behind.”

“Tom for muscle,” Jensen said and looked at Alona. “And Chris has to go and be the face.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “That is my family. You cannot send both of them. That is so unfair. We have a kid.”

“And you,” Jensen said to her. 

She looked confused. 

“You won’t add much poundage,” Jensen said. “You are also a healer. You can make Justin ready for a fight.”

He stepped forward and touched a finger to her nose. “And I know that if they need healing you will fix them, that you will bring back your family, you will bring back Kelsey’s fathers.”

She had tears in her eyes. “You’re a softie, the end of the war and all of us settling down has made you a softie.”

Jensen shrugged. “It is tactical.”

“You don’t need me here?” Alona asked. “Jared…”

“You can’t fix Jared,” Jensen interrupted. “There are medics here to help him. You are needed with them.”

Alona shrugged. “What about Kelsey?”

Jensen smiled. “You have to come back for her.”

Alona looked down. When she looked up and she was every inch the warrior she had been raised as.

“When do we leave?” she asked.

**

Katie stood next to Jensen and watched the plane take off.

“He’s watched me do this a hundred times,” she said dryly. “It sucks from this side.”

“Sorry Kates,” Jensen said. “We needed him to go.”

Katie turned to him. “I get it okay. I know that we have to deal with impossible decisions all the times, but that man, he’s mine, we don’t talk about it ever, but I love him. We have a boy in there and I’m pretty sure in a few hours we’re going to have another. You will move heaven and earth to make sure that all of them come back or else I’ll never forgive you. We may not have your world wide known epic love, but I like what we have and it is important to me.”

“You’re in labor?” Jensen asked paling, then looking at where the plane had disappeared. “You should have told me, Alona...”

“No,” Katie said. “There are midwives and doctors here. Giving birth is pretty much the same for all species. He needs her more than I do.”

With that she walked away to the medical wing.

**

“So they’re over the Amazon right now,” Jensen said, tapping the com in his ear. “They’re moving too fast to do much besides try not to throw up. Chris is probably passed out. They’ll be there soon and talk to the village and find out what is going on. They’ll check in soon.”

Jensen looked down at the chair.

Jax and Kelsey were looking at him.

“Keeping the children close?” Jeff said. 

“Well there is nobody left. Everybody is having babies or taking care of babies or saving Jared in some way shape or form,” Jensen muttered. 

Jeff walked over to the com. “It’s always like this you know. The first part of the mission, the adrenaline is rushing and there is nothing to do but sit here and wait.”

“I remember the early days, we always got to go rushing in,” Jensen smiled.

“I didn’t,” Jeff said. 

“Always back here?” Jensen said with a smile. “I never thought about it.”

“The waiting sucks,” Jeff said and then looked into space. “Down stairs is three kind of lives happening. Across the world there is a war happening, and we are doing nothing but sitting here waiting for them.”

Jensen sat down and huffed.

“Juice!” Kelsey said.

Jax clapped and started jumping in the chair.

Jeff threw his head back and laughed. “And so things change.”

**

“If we go left we could sneak up on them,” Alona whispered.

“You’re the fucking medic,” Justin whispered back. “I’m better at tactics and that will leave our flank wide open.”

“Both of you shut the fuck up,” Jensen whispered. “We have five people we don’t have a flank.”

“I’m going to shoot you all,” Chad said, looking down at his water gun.

“Lona, Justin,” Jared whispered. “Go forward, low hide under the ticket booth. Jensen and I are going to go around the loop-de-loop and get them in the back.”

Chad squinted at him. “And let me guess, I’m going to be your sacrifice?”

Jared smiled at him. “We just call it bait. Try not to get dead.”

“Why do I always have to be bait?” Chad whined going up to the ticket booth. Alona and Justin trooped off.

Jensen looked over at him and whispered. “You’re hot when you are plotting and strategic.”

Jared grinned. “That is why you play chess with me.”

They looked at each other.

“We can always win the next one,” Jensen suggested suggestively.

Jared came up and kissed him. “Loosing builds character.”

“That is the only time that you didn’t win,” Misha said watching their younger selves play at their mock war. Water, Nerf, and blue light being exchanged on both sides.

Jared nodded and looked as his young self went off with Jensen, but the Jared watching was getting a little woozy.

“Hold on Jared,” Misha said.

Jared turned his had, he was moving slowly.

“Don’t give up Jared,” Misha said determinedly. “They went down to fight the Halfling nest. They went to that village you and Chris were at, they trekked through the forest. They’re almost there.”

Jared dejectedly looked at the scene before him. “I can’t feel it any more. I love this memory. What I felt these days was what I took with me, that is what got me through.”

“He’s there Jared, just hold on,” Misha begged.

Jared looked at him dully, he began to flicker.

“Fuck,” Misha swore and jumped out of Jared’s head.

**

“I know we don’t know which on it is,” Jensen yelled. “You’ve just gotta kill them all.”

Jensen sat alone in the com room, his head in his hands, listening to the crew in South America as they tore through the Halfling’s stronghold.

Misha tore in the room.

“I need you to come now,” Misha said, breathing hard.

Jensen just looked at him. “I’m in the middle of something.”

“We’re loosing Jared,” Misha said. “I need you to pull him out while I push him. We’re going to loose him.”

Jensen looked at him with wide eyes. Then they snapped to a point beyond Misha’s head.

“Chris don’t push yet, let them bottle neck,” Jensen barked and then looked at Misha, calculating, listening to the fight.

Finally Jensen grabbed an extra earpiece and ran to the med wing.

**

“We need a distraction to get us through that door,” Justin hissed over the headpiece. “We can handle the bottle neck, but we need something to pull them all in here so Chris and I can get behind them.

Jensen put the com in Jared ear, closing his eyes, praying to anything that this would go okay. So many things were on the line at this given moment.

“Well, how will you find a distraction?” Jensen was saying, turning on Jared’s com. 

“I don’t fucking know,” Justin said. “There aren’t that many options here.”

“Chad, talk to them.”

Suddenly there was silence.

“Was that Jared?” Alona said.

Jensen was staring at Jared. He was still not moving. Eyes still closed.

“Insult them,” Jared said in a whisper.

“He’s still down,” Jensen said, his heart beating fast. “Keep going. Chad insult the hell out of them.”

“Always bait,” Chad muttered.

Then a rapid amount of clicks and rasps came over the com, followed quickly by gunfire and yelling.

“Go, Justin, Tom, Chris, go,” Jensen demanded, staring at Jared, holding onto his hand. “Chad keep talking, Lona pick them off.”

Jensen rested his head on Jared’s shoulder and listened to Chad yelling himself horse and the sound of the blasters.

Misha touched Jensen’s shoulder. He pointed to the earpiece in his own ear.

“What is Chad saying?” Jensen whispered.

Misha snickered. “He’s telling them that they are lesser forms and that they are nothing but lowly pieces of shit left over and he’s going on and on. I think that he’s been repressing some feelings for a while. I think he’s just letting everything out.”

“Don’t forget the shooting in this therapy session,” Jensen said.

“Yes sir,” Chad said, before reverting to the chirping again.

“Justin report,” Jensen said.

There was just the sound of blaster fire.

“Shit Jensen,” Chris rasped between blasts. “Justin’s down. Asshole just saved my fucking life.”

“Alona, I need you-“ Jensen began and a hand reached out. Jensen looked down and Jared’s hazel eyes were looking up at him.

They were blank and emotionless.

“We finish the fight, then we pick up our wounded,” Jared said tonelessly.

“Kill every son of a bitch,” Alona shrieked. “Chad!”

Jensen grit his teeth.

“Fuck, they hit me,” Chad cried out and then let out what Jensen assumed was a string of obscenities in the Halfling’s language.

“Glow for me,” Jared whispered, listening to the fighting on their earpieces.

Jensen closed his eyes and felt his power thrum through him. When he opened his eyes he was surrounded with glowing blue light and Jared was staring at him, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“I wanted to see this every time I had to do this,” Jared whispered. “I had to do every battle without it and I just wanted you.”

“I’m here,” Jensen said.

“Jensen,” Chad said panicked. “If I don’t- I mean tell Katie…”

Jensen stood up like a shot. “Chad Michael Murray I am not giving her your last words because I don’t know a single thing about your relationship, nobody does and we’re not going to have awkwardness after because you told me some kind of thing, so here is the deal, Katie is having your baby…”

“A son,” Jared said.

“You’re going to have another son, god help the fucking world,” Jensen yelled. “Get the fuck up because there is no way that I’m telling her that I lost you and my face is too goddamned recognizable to go into hiding.”

And amid the gunfire and Halfling screeches was laugher.

“Justin Hartley, you too, I swear to god you will get your ass back here and bring the mother of your kid and her husband or I swear to god I will-“

“The Halflings. They’re all dead,” Tom’s voice broke in.

“Good,” Jared said. “I don’t think he has anything to finish that up with.”

“The forces will be there in an hour to secure the location,” Jensen said. “Jared is awake. Mission accomplished. See to the wounded.”

“Oh god, Justin,” Alona said.

“Report,” Jensen barked.

“Fuck you Jensen Ackles,” Alona said.

“Report,” Jensen demanded.

“Tom and Chris check out. Chad was shot in the ass,” Alona said.

“This is what happens when you don’t protect your flank,” Chad muttered.

“Alona,” Jensen seethed. “Report.”

“I am going in,” Alona whispered. “I’m going to fix Justin. I’m going to tie his guts back together and put his stomach back together. I’ll report later.”

Jensen dropped his head.

“She’s healing,” Tom said. “We’re taking a defensive stand, just in case. Is Misha checking Jared out?”

Jensen looked over at Misha. Misha nodded.

“He’s clear,” Jensen said, looking down at Jared, allowing a moment of relief to wash over him.

“What is the ETA of the back up?” Chris asked.

“Two hours,” Jensen said.

“Tell the to hurry,” Tom said, voice full of concern.

**

“My ass hurts,” Chad complained.

“You must be feeling better,” Jared said, looking around the room.

Misha and Sophia were lounging in their chairs, Jared was still in his bed and Jensen had crawled into his bed. They had put the crew in South America on speakerphone. Sophia was staring up at the ceiling, Danneel and Katie were in labor, she was envying them as she stroked her belly. 

“So much waiting,” Jensen sighed.

“The waiting thing is new,” Jared said. “I mean we never had time to wait and see what happened. We always were worried about what was going to happen next.”

“Justin is going to be okay is what was happening next,” Alona said, sounding like she was being ground through the wood chipper.

“Hi Guys,” Justin said wornly. “Alive. What I miss.”

There was silence. Jensen realized that they were all looking to him. He cleared his throat.

“Danni and Katie are in labor,” Jensen said.

“How’s my girl?” Chad asked.

Everyone was silent for a minute. The first rule of Chad and Katie was that you don’t talk about Chris and Katie.

“She’s a trooper,” Sophia said, her dimples coming out.

“She’s annoyed with how long this is lasting,” Katie said, coming in followed by one of the midwives who was looking at them disapprovingly.

“I remember how much cursing there was with Jax,” Chad retorted. “I saved myself the trouble and just got shot in the ass.”

“Wuss,” Katie said with a smile, doubling over silently.

Sophia just watched.

“Lona,” Sophia said quietly. “She puts us all to shame.”

Alona’s laughter came over the line, but there was something a little wistful in there.

Misha raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to have another Justin baby?”

“Misha Collins,” Alona chastised. “You cannot read my mind from there.”

“Nah,” Misha said. “I just know you.”

Danneel was wheeled in with a baby in her arms.

Katie glared at her.

“Tommy,” Sophia said with reverence. “You’ve got a baby boy.”

“I wish I could be there, I can’t wait to meet him,” Tom said, a little longingly.

Danneel looked over at Jensen and Jared on the bed. 

“Thank you,” Jensen said.

“What are you going to name Grace’s little brother?” Tom asked, obviously uncomfortable with the praise.

“Kai,” Jared said tiredly.

They looked at him.

“What?” Jared said. “He’s Jay and Tris’ brother too.”

“Looks like Jared wants to take over naming the kids,” Chad remarked and then groaned.

“Maybe it would save time,” Misha muttered.

Jeff came into the room, carrying his portable screen. 

“How is everybody?” Jeff asked.

“Agonizing,” Chad whined. “Alona doesn’t have enough juice for me, having had to heal Justin’s ass twice.”

Alona started giggling. “Now I can’t heal Chad’s ass.”

“I’m always the fucking bait,” Chad sulked.

“Stop fucking whining,” Katie chastised. “Your son is dancing on my insides and won’t come out. You have nothing to complain about.”

Jeff cleared his throat. “Well kids I’m glad that you are okay, but I’ve been speaking to the world leaders. I just wanted you to know that there we have hit four Halfling strong holds. Jensen’s words inspired the world, again.”

“How many died?” Jared asked.

Jensen began to glow blue.

“Thirteen died,” Jeff said. “There was no violence human on human violence.”

That didn’t help Jared much. He felt the weight of the loss of thirteen of the very few people left in this world.

“Good job away team,” Jeff said into the air. “You saved the world again. You all saved the world, it is safe again.”

They all stayed still.

“The world owes so much to you all,” Jeff told them.

The ones in the room looked at each other.

“We’re all still here,” Alona rasped.

Jensen breathed again.

 

**

Much later there was a still normalcy. The team in the Amazon was being returned and Katie had finally had her baby.

Jared was getting checked out and the doctor kicked out the hovering Jensen.

“I don’t know how you did it,” Jensen said, walking into a room where only Jeff stood.

Jeff looked up.

“I was already planning on how I would end it all if Jared didn’t come back,” Jensen admitted quietly, walking towards Jeff. “I was dying at just the thought. You loved my father just as much, I’m sure. How did you stand it all those years.”

Jeff’s face, solid all of those years, the rock, the stone of Jensen’s life broke. Lips pressed thin.

“He had you.”

Jensen turned towards the door Jared was leaning against the door. He shrugged.

“That was the only thing that got me through,” Jared said softly.

Jensen looked confused.

“I’ve known Jay and Tris since we were nineteen,” Jared said. “Every night when I go to sleep I saw those boys. When you were gone, when I thought you left I saw Jay and Tris. Jeff was the one that told me I had to go on. He was the one who said that the hurt would never go away, but my job was to make those boys safe, to make them happen. That was my job.”

Jensen swallowed and looked towards Jeff.

“I don’t understand,” Jensen said.

Jeff gave him a small smile. “Don’t try. Jared will explain more, but he’s right. The reason for it all was because he loved you even though his heart was smashed to bits.”

“And the fact that I had a whole lot of revenge and war during the day helped,” Jared said with a weak smile.

Jeff cleared his throat. “I’m going to go now.”

Jeff left the room.

“He’s not really one for the deep talks is he?” Jared asked.

Jensen shook his head. “Nah, but he was real good to me.”

Jensen reached for Jared and they were together and whole again.

“What did you see?” Jensen asked.

Jared’s breath came a little forced.

“The beginning,” Jared said with obvious hurt. “The way it would have been to be with you but never have you.”

Jensen held him tighter.

“Some days I wonder,” Jensen began. “I wonder if I knew, if I had a chance to give you a speech all over again, knowing what I know now, how I would have phrased it. Would I say I will show you the greatest pain, I will put you in a position where you are forced to fight for humanity, where you are in the middle of the worst war the world has ever known.”

Jared tilted his head and whispered in Jensen’s ear. “You could have told me all that, you could have been more graphic, but if you had ended it with I will love you forever, I would have followed you anywhere.”

“You have,” Jensen said. “Thank you. I do you know, love you forever.”

“It was worth it,” Jared said. “Just for that.”


End file.
